Thai Navy acquires 6 used German submarines
The Thai navy has received permission from Prime Minister Abhisit to take over six old German submarines. The purchase will cost Thailand more than 180 million euros. The submarines, powered by diesel and electric motors, in the U-260 class are 30 years old and will soon be mothballed in Germany. However, according to Thai people involved, they can last at least another 10 years. It is the first time that Thailand has access to such ships. According to the …
Yellow Shirt Movement on the verge of death
The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD, yellow shirts) will probably be dissolved. The demonstration at Government House, which started two months ago, is attracting few supporters and important politicians are also staying away. According to an anonymous source, the two founding PAD leaders, Sondhi Limthongkul and Chamlong Srimuang, will announce the dissolution on April 6. PAD spokesperson Parnthep Pourpongpan, however, knows nothing about a possible cancellation. 'We will continue our political movement until the government bows to …
Seventh dead in Chiang Mai mystery
A Canadian man from Edmonton is the seventh mysterious death in Chiang Mai. The Canadian, Bill Mah (59) died after using the swimming pool of the Downtown Inn in Chiang Mai. Earlier, a British couple and a Thai guide were found dead in their rooms. A 23-year-old New Zealand woman who was staying at the Downtown Inn died in hospital after severe vomiting and convulsions. The Canadian man had no heart problems and was…
New ambassador in Thailand: drs. Joan Boer
In a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs we can read who will soon be representing the Netherlands in Thailand. At the proposal of Minister Rosenthal of Foreign Affairs, the Council of Ministers has agreed to nominate Mr. Joan Boer (9 January 1950) for appointment as ambassador. He succeeds Mr. Tjaco T. van den Hout who has occupied this post in Bangkok since September 6, 2008. Mr Van Den Hout had already …
Mysterious death of tourists in Chiang Mai
In Chiang Mai, six people have died in suspicious circumstances in the past two months. The New Zealand Ministry of Health is warning travelers who want to visit Chiang Mai. New Zealand Sarah Carter (23) fell ill last month while staying at the Downtown Inn in Chiang Mai and died a day later. The cause of death was thought to be food poisoning. Since her death, several deaths have been reported under similar circumstances and around the same time. Inflammation…
Shooting is cheaper than buying votes
Suppose you have a political opponent and you want to defeat him in the elections. What are you doing? In Thailand there are two options: bribe voters or have your opponent killed. The first option costs 5 to 10 million baht, the second - depending on the difficulty - 100.000 to 300.000 baht. Since the attack on two local politicians on the same day in Prachin Buri and Nonthaburi and with the elections approaching, the police fear that…
BVN as always a lousy source of news
After mega-disasters like now in Japan, the interested or concerned citizen wants to be informed as quickly and completely as possible. This also applies, of course, to the Dutch in Thailand, less than 6000 kilometers away from the 8,9 strong earthquake, followed by a devastating tsunami. We don't need printed newspapers in Thailand at that time. Although they come with a background and beautiful photos, they are still like mustard after the meal. Fortunately, nowadays we have…
Road accident in Hua Hin, Belgian man died
A taxi ride on holiday in Thailand ended disastrously for a family from Merchtem. Serge Broeders (45) died, his wife Charlotte De Rese (37) was seriously injured but is now on the mend. Their 5-year-old daughter Juliette suffered leg fractures after the semi-open car was hit in the coastal town of Hua Hin. The family was on their way to the hotel after an afternoon of shopping. Charlotte's sister and father traveled to Thailand to ...
Remarkable: baby farm rolled up in Bangkok
Immigration broke up a baby farm in Bangkok last week. 13 Vietnamese women were freed, seven of them pregnant. Remarkably enough, the message has attracted little or no attention in the international media. A baby farm? Yes, a breeding ground for babies, run by a company from Taiwan. On its own website, the company tries to explain in broken English that childless parents can hire a surrogate mother here for a fee. Provided with your own sperm or egg if desired, …
Thai Crown Prince looking for antiques in Belgium
High visit to our southern neighbours. In Tongeren, Belgium, the Thai prince came by last weekend to buy antiques. The Crown Prince of Thailand did some antique shopping, including in a thrift store. Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn (59) is one of the richest people in the world. "Still, his advisers haggled over the price." On Thursday, the crown prince's advisers came by first. Fifteen men walked around my store for three hours. They had …
The Netherlands is helping Thailand with a plan against flooding
The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, in collaboration with the Dutch embassy, is working on a plan to prevent flooding in Thailand. This flood prevention plan should provide a long-term solution to the rising sea levels that threaten Bangkok and the coastal provinces every year. The Netherlands has been asked by the Thai government to help with a solution to the problems of water management. Thailand sees the Netherlands as the world's leading expert in the field of dams, dykes and measures against flooding. …
Fighting was reported again yesterday at the border area between Thailand and Cambodia. At least one Thai soldier has been killed. Thousands of people have fled. These are the fiercest confrontations in years. At least five people, both civilians and soldiers, have been killed in the past five days. Both countries blame each other for starting the fighting. In the fighting, a temple from the eleventh ...
Record attempt longest kiss for Guinness Book in Pattaya
From February 13 to February 14, 2011, the “Love Kiss Marathon” will be held at the Royal Garden Plaza in Pattaya (Thailand). This Guinness Book record attempt in the context of Valentine's Day is all about the longest kiss ever recorded. The current record stands at 32 hours 7 minutes, 14 seconds and is set in Hamburg during Valentine's Day (2009). The participants will compete for a cash prize of 100.000 THB (€ 2.350) and a ring …
ANVR members suspected of forbidden price agreements!
Some time ago I wrote an article about the ANVR alert list in which a Dutch and a foreign tour operator were pilloried. The ANVR was proud to report in a press release that these companies probably did not comply with Dutch law. To reinforce the whole thing, the Consumer Authority was also asked by the ANVR to conduct an investigation. War path The ANVR was on a war path and mainly small tour operators …
'Black list ANVR': two Thailand specialists
The ANVR website lists travel organizations by name, which the ANVR sees as 'suspicious'. This list also includes two Thailand specialists, namely Thailandreisgids.nl from Gouda and Greenwoodtravel, based in Bangkok. According to the ANVR, these travel companies may not be able to guarantee the financial obligations towards travelers in the event of bankruptcy and repatriation. On the website of the ANVR you can also read that the said tour operators cannot or insufficiently demonstrate ...
Girl who caused accident with minibus released
An underage girl who caused an accident on a "Tollway" last month that killed 9 passengers in a minibus has been released without bail. This is because she turned herself in to the police and was not arrested – a condition for extenuating circumstances under the judicial procedure for juveniles. Head of the Department of Juvenile Observation and Protection Mr. Thawatchai Thaikheo downplayed the speculation and skepticism that it was not with …
Thailand anti-drug operation: 21.000 arrests
More than 21.000 people have been arrested in recent weeks in a nationwide anti-drug operation in Thailand because they are suspected of being drug users or dealers. This was announced by the Thai police today. Since December 21, 2010, the police have conducted house searches in 4.655 municipalities. This happened after the government asked the police to focus more on the drug problem. The authorities seized quite a few drugs: 1,6 million methamphetamine pills (Yaba) …